Hiv / Aids And Aids

Human immunodeficiency virus, also known as HIV, is an infectious disease that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) when left untreated. With AIDS, an individual’s immune system is severely compromised which leads to life-threatening infections, cancer, and eventual death. HIV is primarily transmitted via direct blood contact, breast milk, and sexual contact. With the exception of one highly unique case, HIV is incurable but can be suppressed with highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). When HAART was introduced in 1996, HIV/AIDS related deaths have decreased dramatically, and HAART, when used for prophylactic measures (treatment plan also known as PrEP), has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection (Center for Disease Control, 2016).

HIV/AIDS has been responsible for one of the worst epidemics in history. In her book “The Invisible Cure” Helen Epstein details why Africa in particular was so devastated by the disease, which countries failed and which succeeded in the struggle to contain the virus, and why this happened. Epstein highlights a particular phenomenon, that first took place in Uganda, but which can be translated to many countries and situations, and which she calls “the invisible cure.”

Since its identification approximately two decades ago, HIV has increasingly spread globally, surpassing expectations (1). The number of people living with HIV worldwide is estimated to be 36 million, with 20 million people having died from the disease, giving a total number of 56 million being infected (1). In 2000 alone, 5.3 million people were infected with HIV and there is potential for further spread. HIV infection rates vary all over the world with the highest rates in Sub-Saharan Africa (1). Responding to this epidemic has been a challenge as infection rates have increased worldwide despite tremendous public health efforts by nations (1). The identification of potential interventions to reduce the magnitude of the problem has

Did you know “AIDS is the leading cause of death in Africa” (Quinn, online). Twenty percent of Africa’s population has died from AIDS. Poverty is a big problem in Africa. Men have been forced to become migrant workers in urban areas. And antiretroviral treatment at this time is not available to African people. AIDS is a big problem in Africa today that is now requiring help from the world.

Of the 35 million people living with HIV in the world, 19 million do not know their HIV-positive status. Adolescent girls and young women account for one in four new HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa. Women are much more vulnerable to HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis B and C than the general public. Which is supported by this excerpt from a recent AIDSTAR-One regional report “Women and girls often face discrimination in terms of access to education, employment and healthcare. In this region, men often dominate sexual relationships. As a result, women cannot always practice safer sex even when they know the risks involved. Gender-based violence has been identified as a key driver of HIV transmission in the region.” (Ellsberg, Betron 2010) Many children are affected by the disease in a number of ways: they live with sick parents and relatives in households drained of resources due to the epidemic, and those who have lost parents are less likely to go to school or continue their education. Studies in the regions of Southern Africa and South-East Asia have found HIV/AIDS to negatively impact both the demand for and supply of education. Orphaned children are either pulled out of school or not enrolled at all due to the financial constraints of

In The Invisible Cure, Helen Epstein talks about why HIV/AIDS rate is so high in Africa compared to the rest of the world. Through the book, she gives us an account of the disease and the struggles that many health experts and ordinary Africans went through to understand this disease, and how different African countries approached the same problem differently. Through this paper, I will first address the different ways Uganda and Southern African countries, South Africa and Botswana in particular, dealt with this epidemic, and then explain how we can use what we have learned from these African countries to control outbreaks of communicable disease elsewhere around the world.

The AIDS epidemic, from its beginning, has elicited a variety of responses from individuals and governments alike. Because the disease was originally shrouded in such mystery, many did not know how to react, which fostered a default fear of the unknown response. This attitude lead to many governments adopting a denialist policy, countless individuals living and eventually dying alone due to an unwillingness to report their illness for fear of consequence or prejudice, and this allowed the HIV virus flourish. Several countries responded efficiently and effectively to the presence of the HIV virus in their midst, while other countries maintained an attitude of ignorance. The latter position contributed to a huge expanse of the HIV epidemic

In the sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of the population suffers from HIV leading to AIDS. The culprits responsible for this epidemic include the lack of knowledge about the disease, disuse of condoms due to religious practices and the overall poor hygiene. If left untreated, the rampant surge of AIDS can terrribly impact the cost of their healthcare, the African economy and the welfare of the people. This implications justify immediately finding remedies to what ails the sub-Saharan population.

In the book Religion and AIDS in Africa by Jenny Trinitapoli and Alexander Wienreb, describe the role that religion plays in interpreting, preventing, and coping with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. In my view, the variation across countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is due, in part, to different health care and political/government systems. The variation that is seen in healthcare across SSA, where Botswana where programs and access to antiretroviral therapy compared to Zambia. The other variation seen in government influence is that there is a lack of involvement in address HIV/AIDS in South Africa government due to political silence compared to Uganda.

As HIV/AIDS is a significant potential threat to family structures. The epidemic deprives families of their property and further impoverishes those who are already poor. One major social phenomenon induced by the epidemic is the increase in the number of orphans. The loss of income, additional costs related to health care, and the increase in health costs and funeral expenses lead many into poverty. HIV/AIDS is, therefore, an obstacle to economic expansion and social progress, especially because the vast majority of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world are between the ages of 15 and 24 years. AIDS diminishes economic activity by reducing productivity, increasing costs, redirecting resources, and diminishing skills.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the region of the world that is most affected by HIV/AIDS. The United Nations reports that an estimated 25.4 million people are living with HIV and that approximately 3.1 million new infections occurred in 2004. To put these figures in context, more than 60 percent of the people living with the infection reside in Africa. Even these staggering figures do not quite capture the true extent and impact that this disease causes on the continent. In 1998, about 200,000 Africans died as a result of various wars taking place on the continent. In that same year, more than 2 million succumbed to HIV/AIDS (Botchwey, 2000).

South Africa currently has the largest number of people in the world living with HIV/AIDS (avert.org, 2014). In the worldwide population, there are 37 million people with HIV and 25.8 million of those people live in Sub-Saharan Africa (AMFAR.org, 2015). This total is 70% of the total population diagnosed and 88% of the HIV population are children (amfAR.org, 2015). The Foundation for AIDS Research estimates that 1.4 million people were infected in 2014, and Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 66% of the AIDS mortality rate in 2014 (amfAR.org, 2015). Many political,

The Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a disease of the immune system caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV is transmitted via unprotected sexual intercourse, contaminated blood transfusion, contaminated hypodermic needles, and from an infected mother to child during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding. There is currently no cure for HIV/AIDS. AIDS is a debilitating condition that has great social, psychological and economic impact on both the individual and the wider community. Besides causing physical deterioration of the individual, AIDS can lead to stigmatization and economic hardship. The cost of AIDS to Sub-Saharan Africa is

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to the world’s largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS. This region faces a disaster if not fixed soon. This epidemic has stopped the development and economic growth in that region. While this is taking place in the sub-Saharan region of Africa, the entire continent is struggling. For developing countries, there is mostly corruption in the government by public officials and therefore it is difficult to have a stable government that can help it to grow. With that being said,

Countries are making historic gains towards ending the AIDS epidemic: 700 000 fewer new HIV infections across the world in 2011 than in 2001. latest data show that a 50% reduction in the rate of new HIV infections (HIV incidence) has been achieved in 25 low- and middle-income countries between 2001 and 2011. more than half of these countries are in subSaharan Africa where the majority of the new HIV infections occur. In a further nine countries the rate of new HIV infections fell steeply—by at least one third between 2001 and 2011. The national declines in HIV incidence in populations shows that sustained investments and increased political leadership for the AIDS response are paying dividends. In particular, countries with a concurrent scale up of HIV prevention and treatment programmes are seeing a drop in new HIV infections to record lows. Prevention leads to behaviour change; treatment reduces a person’s viral load. Both reduce the potential for the virus to be transmitted. The historic slow-down indicates HIV